Washington, N.J., February 9, 2022 – The Arc of Warren County has recently been awarded a grant in the sum of $12,680 from The John A. & Margaret Post Foundation for the cost of a power generator at one of the Agency’s 17 group homes in Washington.
This grant award will make a substantially positive impact on the daily operations of The Agency. The project will start immediately and will be completed within four months. On average, the Agency needs to relocate residents one to three times per year in the group homes that do not have a power generator. This is because thunderstorms and snowstorms routinely cause a loss of power in the rural areas of Warren County.
The State of New Jersey mandates that relocation is necessary in extreme cold or hot temperatures in group homes. This has caused travel for the most vulnerable of The Arc of Warren County’s residents in treacherous weather and road conditions causing serious hardship for the Agency. As a result of the limited hotel options in the immediate area, sometimes staff and residents have had to temporarily relocate up to 20 to 30 miles away from their homes.
This is the fourth power generator that The John A. & Margaret Post Foundation has funded for The Arc of Warren County in recent years. The Arc of Warren County was awarded grants for the cost of generators that were installed in the organization’s group homes in Belvidere, Alpha and Phillipsburg in 2019 and 2020.
“The continued support that The John A. & Margaret Post Foundation has been extremely beneficial to The Arc of Warren County and those we serve,” says John Whitehead, CEO of The Arc of Warren County. “In addition, many of our residents find it very frightening and disruptive when they need to relocate due to power loss, even if it is for a short period of time. These generators make it possible for us to save on relocation expenses so we can spend our limited resources on other routine costs associated with operating residential programs.”
The John A. and Margaret Post Foundation supports charitable organizations that benefit the quality of life for families and society in general with a primary focus on organizations in northwest New Jersey and northeast Pennsylvania.
The Arc is a national organization that serves individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities and their family members since 1950. The Arc of Warren County is one of seven hundred chapters of The Arc and serves more than 1,100 people annually for the past 68 years. Programs include residential group homes and supervised apartments, day services, community-based supports, advocacy services, recreation and summer camp, Special Olympics training, early intervention and a wide variety of additional social services.
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